China develops key composite module for reusable spacecraft

China's first 5-meter-diameter rocket module made of composite materials rolled off the production line on Saturday, becoming the largest composite section ever made domestically for any reusable launch vehicle.

Developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, the product marks a major manufacturing technical breakthrough, the academy said in a statement, adding that it will be used in an important national space project.

According to the academy, more than 60 percent of the module is made of composite materials. Its lightweight wall panels can withstand an axial load of 1,000 metric tons and the module is equipped with self-adaptive adjustment interfaces.

The research team overcame multiple technical challenges — such as the high-precision and high-quality manufacturing of large-scale new composite structures — and only took seven months to complete the entire manufacturing process from conceptual design to final production and delivery, it noted.

China has been striving to develop a fleet of reusable rockets that can dramatically reduce launch costs and improve the efficiency and frequency of space missions.

The Beijing academy is expected to carry out a major recovery test of its reusable rocket model in coming months.